Not the Blanket
by Murasahki-chan
Summary: Kenshin's old traveling partner, Taka, and Hiko are tossed into The Blanket Scenario. Kenshin may not survive the experience. The mountains may not, either.


**Not The Blanket**

_A Dragon & Phoenix Tale_

_Written:_ 16 April 2009

_Posted: _12 August 2011, rev. 0

_Category_: Humor/Fantasy

_Summary:_ Kenshin's old traveling partner, Taka, and Hiko are tossed into The Blanket Scenario. Kenshin may not survive the experience.

_Disclaimer: _The characters and story of Rurouni Kenshin are the property of Nobuhiro Watsuki, Shonen Jump, _et al_. Used without permission. This work is for entertainment only, and no profit is intended.

_Notes:_ In the first Dragon & Phoenix story, Kenshin's former partner was called "Gozen Taka." Further research on the historical person she was based on has revealed that "Gozen" is more a title than a family name, so Taka has become "Yoshinaka Taka."

_Glossary:_ At end of document.

**Chapter 1. The Enjoyment of Nature**

There were occasions when Kenshin wished to be a headblind, unfeeling, disloyal, unloving son/disciple right down to his inconvenienced toes. Really, he did.

Unfortunately, it was currently all too apparent that he was not such, and so he found himself bound up a path on a mountain outside of Kyoto, wondering why today of all cold, stormy, windy days his _ki_ had to be so disturbed. He'd tried ignoring it, which had resulted in one very nauseated _rurouni_. So he gave in and decided to heed the warning, if only to settle his stomach. That hadn't been such a bad prospect, when he left the Aoiya in pleasantly cool sunlight for the walk to Hiko's. The weather held to the mountain cabin, and then his luck had started to turn with the wind.

It had been a long, cold slog along the trail past Hiko's place. The roaring of the wind through the pines, and the pelleting rain, made it hard to judge distance and location for sure, but Kenshin felt he she should be coming up on Hiko's hunting camp soon. The path had to be no more than 50 paces ahead-

This really wasn't good. There was a pale, pinkish-orange glow pulsing around where he judged the camp entrance should be. It was accompanied by occasional spiky streaks of glowing blue-black.

He was unfortunately quite sure as to where he would find his Master, and it looked like his old traveling partner had found him as well.

It did not appear they were really getting along.

_Earlier That Day_

A drenched phoenix drew a deep, cleansing breath, reminded herself that she was a reasonable, experienced traveler who had weathered many mountain downpours before.

And on an exhale. . .

"And you call your _apprentice_ an idiot! What in the name of the Sacred Windhorse made you think there was plenty of time to get to the shrine—circling the long way around—and circle back the same bloody way before the storm hit!"

The rather drowned dragon who was sharing the moment reminded himself that he was a swordmaster, the head of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu, and playing headgames with starkly evil, frighteningly intelligent beings was something he did for amusement. Before breakfast.

So, with a resolve to master his own behavior, he reasonably replied,

"So what made _you_ insist on a rest break after every piddling little downhill? Word has it you're game for any adventure, love traveling, and have the delicate sensibilities of a half-drunk Nagasaki sailor.

"And _this_ is the tougher-than-narwhal-hide being who has to stop and rest—no, not just rest, _sit down_—every 200 paces with a storm blowing in!"

"Your age is showing," she snapped, "apparently you can't remember all the w-way back to this morning when I t-told you that I'm like every horseman, I have bad knees and don't travel well downhill!"

By this time, they were toe-to-toe, their _ki_ flaming and flaring around them, and everything nearby in the forest that hadn't already holed up had frozen in fear. They held each other's stare for a beat, then Taka Yoshinaka blinked and said,

"You've actually s-seen n-narwal hide? _S-sugoi_!"

"ArrRRGH! We can discuss exotic leathers _after_ we get the hell out of what's building to be a massive thunderstorm!"

"Oh, you _n-noticed_, finally. And here I thought your _ki_ sense had just gone and t-taken a nap—"

"Never mind what I sensed when. We need to get out of this rain, in case you haven't noticed that you're soaked," _and shivering like you're setting in an ice cave_, he thought to himself, "and so am I."

"Fine," she answered flatly, "it's only what, another two hours back to your place from here? If w-we start right now we sh-should be warm by an hour a-after dark."

Hiko Seijuro XIII gave her one last glare, and then smartly about-faced and began to make his way back up the trail they'd just come down.

_"Oi!_ Don't tell me you've forgotten the way to your own house," Taka yelled after him.

The big swordsman snorted.

"Hardly. I just don't see any reason to swim through this for the next two hours when I could be dry in the next few minutes."

"You mean there's shelter nearby?"

"Now I see why my _baka deshi_ thinks so highly of you. You're almost as quick on the uptake as he is."

'_Redhead-_kun_, you owe me big time for this one,'_ she thought as she made to follow Hiko,_ 'next time you carry your shrine offering yourself even if I do happen to be headed back through Kyoto._

_'Ah, well, at least it's uphill this time.'_

Hiko was as good as his word: they'd backtracked uphill for a hundred paces or so, then followed a deer trail back and forth across a wooded slope that finally ran past a small opening in the mountainside. Perhaps one and a half times the height of a man and not quite wide enough for Taka to stretch her arms out fully, it took a sharp turn a few paces in.

"Wait here," Hiko's voice drifted back to her as she came even with the turn.

Taka couldn't really see much of the cave's features since there was little daylight left and that was dimmed by the storm. She did get some sense of space from listening to Hiko's footsteps as he moved around the area. Now that she'd stopped moving, though, she was shivering so hard that most of what she heard was filtered through the sound of her own teeth chattering.

She heard him dragging something—wood, she hoped—from somewhere ahead and to her left to a point just ahead of her. He rummaged in his waist-pouch, then she heard the wet _spilp-splap_ of his clothes as he knelt. There were a few brief scratching noises, and then a spark caught in what she could now barely see was a bunch of tinder under the kindling and fuel for a fire.

"G-g-good thing you-you knew about th-th-this," she managed to force out between shivers.

"And an even better thing that I keep it stocked with essentials," he returned, eyeing the shaking woman at the entrance.

"Why do you—"

"Hunting camp," his answer cut her off.

_"She's really not doing well. She's not exactly made to take the cold, too tall and thin. Almost like a bundle of bamboo sticks. Make that frozen bamboo sticks, if she doesn't at least get dry and warmer."_

He regarded her thoughtfully for a moment, then rose to his feet and pulled off his soaked _hippari_ and _gi_. Then he looked her straight in the eye, and said one word before he headed for the supply corner again.

"Strip."

To Be Continued

_(I _am_ planning on continuing this, but I make no commitments as to when. This is mostly a diversion from a couple of more complex fics I have in the hopper. Gives me something silly and fun to work on.)_

**_Glossary_**

_Baka—_idiot, dummy, stupid, fool

_Deshi—_pupil, apprentice, disciple

_Gi—_Upper body garment cut much like a _kimono_, but it goes only about midway down the thighs. Sleeves may be narrower than kimono for convenience.

_Hippari—_informal short jacket which does cross and cover the front of the body, tying at one side. Sleeves cut narrower than kimono. Can be padded or quilted for winter wear.

_Ki—_spirit, essence, presence

_Rurouni_—Watsuki-sensei's made-up term for "samurai who wanders."


End file.
